A jockey was arrested after he allegedly shot a trainer at a Delaware racetrack Wednesday morning.
Ruben Rojas, a 30-year-old jockey at the Delaware Park Racetrack and Casino, is charged with assault, possession of a firearm and other related offenses.
Investigators say Rojas confronted a 38-year-old trainer at the racetrack, which is located on the 700 block of Delaware Park Boulevard in Wilmington, around 8:55 a.m. Rojas and the man began to argue, according to police. Rojas, who was still inside his car, then allegedly took out a handgun and opened fire, striking the trainer in the stomach.
Police say Rojas threw away his gun into a nearby creek and fled the scene. The trainer was taken to Christiana Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
State Troopers began searching for Rojas' vehicle, a tan Nissan Xterra. They later found the car in the parking lot of the Prides Court Apartments on Sussex Road in Newark, Delaware, police said. As responding officers arrived, Rojas left a building in the complex and immediately surrendered to police, according to officials.
Officers then searched a nearby creek where they found a 9mm Luger handgun Rojas allegedly used. Police say the gun had been reported as stolen to police in Cleveland, Ohio.
Rojas was arrested and arraigned. He was committed to the Howard Young Correctional Institution for lack of $123,000 cash bail.
